| abstract |
A technique for producing a hydrogen-containing gas in which a reforming reaction is caused to stably proceed from the inlet part of a catalytic-reaction chamber (5) without fail and problems such as, e.g., the decrease in catalytic activity caused by carbon deposition can be prevented while realizing a satisfactory reforming efficiency. Thus, stable reforming performance can be maintained over long. Reforming is performed by mixing an oxygen-containing gas (o) with a feed gas (f1) obtained by mixing steam with a hydrocarbon fuel, introducing the gas mixture into a catalytic-reaction chamber (5), and subjecting it to a partial oxidation reaction and a steam reforming reaction to obtain a hydrogen-containing gas. In the reforming, the chamber (9) preceding the catalytic-reaction chamber (5) is regulated so as to have a temperature which is not lower than the minimum partial-oxidation temperature (T1) and is lower than the minimum steam-reforming temperature (T2) and which is lower than the self-ignition temperature (T3), which is the temperature at which the gas mixture (f2) ignites by itself during the period required for the gas mixture (f2) to move from a mixing chamber (8) to the catalytic-reaction chamber (5). In a first catalyst part (50), the gas mixture (f2) is heated to the self-ignition temperature (T3). |